Marrying Darkiplier

Chapter Twenty-One: Blood

Sean followed Thanatos toward his work shed but slowed to a stop before entering it. Seeing the chair, he became uneasy. Last time he'd sat in it, he'd feared they'd cut his finger off. Thanatos moved to his worktable, removing the master ring to carefully set on the table. When he glanced over his shoulder and saw Sean hadn't entered, he smirked. Gesturing to the chair, he casually told him. "Don't be afraid. This shouldn't be anything like last time." Crossing his arms, Sean mumbled out. "Are you sure about that?" Thanatos brushed his silvery bangs away from his eyes, before cooing out nicely. "Ya. I'm sure. You can trust me." Easing an inch into the shed, Sean inhaled deeply to calm himself down. Being out of the rain felt nice. He just couldn't shake off the feeling of something bad happening here. Thanatos moved around him at a distance, coaxing Sean closer to the chair without force. Using only Sean's own fear of being touched right now against him. Reaching out to touch the chair with a shaking hand, Sean asked him softly. "Are you going to retrain me in it again...?" Behind him, Thanatos coolly whispered to him. "I must. It's for your safety. I don't want to hurt you." Sean swallowed hard in response.

Sean's eyes were then drawn to the Thanatos' shadow. His wings were rising and extending out slowly. Sean's breathing started to become strained as his throat tightened up on him. Straightening up, Sean stiffened, then flinched as Thanatos' hands touched his shoulders very lightly. He was going to have an asthma attack and he didn't have an inhaler. Thanatos' hands slid carefully around him in a hug with no rush. His wings curled around them to encase them in darkness. Only the sounds of the soft rain hinted at life outside. Sean's hand went to his throat, but Thanatos whispered so beautifully against his ear. "Give me your fears. Your worries. And I'll give you my strength. Let be everything you need to feel alright." The overwhelming calm filled him from being in his embrace. While his words made him feel like he could walk on air. His words seemed to remove any earthly shackles that kept him chained to the ground. He felt like if he let him go that he'd float away to freedom. Thanatos's arms suddenly tightened just enough that Sean felt both comforted and loved, before he added against his ear soothingly. "I told you. I can't reap you before your time. But if you'll listen to a little advice... before you bind yourself to Darkiplier. Make sure you are doing it because you love him. Not because you're afraid to feel alone. Complete your heart. Before trying to find someone to share your heart with. Only then will you know your worth. Otherwise, others will tell you what you're worth."

Sean inhaled deeply and serenely as Thanatos eased back from him. Allowing his wings to part slowly to let the light bathe him without blinding him. After he had taken a step or two back, Sean stroked his throat before saying over his shoulder. "How did you...? I thought I was going to..." Smirking to himself, Thanatos moved back to his worktable, telling him nonchalantly. "It's an angel thing. We are healers. Protectors. Light bringers. As a young boy once told me... we are the original superheroes. I was created perfect in every way... except one." Collecting a few jewelry looking tools, he didn't finish. So, Sean asked meekly. "How are you imperfect? Because of what Khaos did to you?" Nudging a stool closer to the chair, Thanatos took a seat and huffed out lightly. "No. Saule, Khaos' sister. She made angels after her own image. Imbued with her light and purity. But... we have no will of our own. We do as we are told to by her, or we perform the job we were created for without complaint or question. We are... content in that. It works." Sean bit his lip as Thanatos' expression turned sad upon adding with less enthusiasm. "What Khaos did to me... was give me free will. A concept that I am always going to struggle with now."

Thanatos gestured for him to sit, and Sean obeyed but asked curiously. "You don't like having free will? Why? I would think that you'd... like it." Thanatos waited for Sean to get comfortable, then stepped on the plate that locked the cuffs over him to keep him still. Sean jerked as the restraints tightened on him, but Thanatos took that moment to tell him seriously. "Free will scares me. Not having it allowed me to focus on my purpose. To help others easier. With free will... I question my purpose. I find myself thinking about not reaping anyone. I think about what happens to me if there is no one left to reap. I debate whether fighting battles that I can easily win is worth it. But... if I interfere. I'll take a life that isn't mine to end. It isn't for me to pick who lives and dies. I don't know what that soul has to learn. I am not a god. I don't want to be feared. I just want to do my job and help people the way I'm designed to." Relaxing in the chair, Sean mumbled out. "I never thought about that... I guess it is why humans feel so lost a lot. We can be anything... but don't know what to do half the time." Thanatos chuckled to himself, looking over Sean's ring as he told him softly. "Ya. I've heard that too. I think that is why I'm unlike the other horsemen. I question my own free will. They... embrace it."